McGonagall was rather surprised when Draco appeared in her fireplace.
"Mr. Malfoy," she said, eyes twinkling. "I realize it's the first day of school but did you forget that you've already graduated?"
Her smile faded at the serious expression on his face.
"No ma'am," he answered. "I've come to speak to Luna Lovegood."
"Oh dear," the headmistress put her hand over her heart. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes. No. I mean, no one is ill or dead or anything like that, I just need to speak to her." Draco wondered if it would be considered bad manners to start pacing. He desperately needed to do something with his nervous energy.
The older woman narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you all right, Mr. Malfoy?"
The sound he made was something between a laugh and a snort. "I've been better."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
He looked at his former professor. Genuine concern reflected in her face. He sighed. "I wish there was. Actually I don't even know what I need."
She didn't answer, but opened one of the cupboards and got something. She turned back around and handed him a glass of brandy.
"Have a seat and tell me what's going on." she told him, the tone of her voice leaving no room for argument.
He obediently sat and took a sip of the drink. He stared at the glass in his hands, not meeting her eyes.
"Are you aware of Luna's condition?" he asked softly.
"No, I wasn't aware of… Oh. I hope that doesn't mean what I think it means."
"Yeah," he nodded, still looking into his glass. "It does."
"And I take it your appearance here means that you are the other party responsible for her "condition"?"
He took another sip of brandy. "Yeah. It does."
"Well. May I ask what your intentions are concerning the situation?" her voice was soft, encouraging, totally lacking in condemnation. Not in the slightest what he expected. Or deserved.
"I don't know," he finally looked at McGonagall, who was looking at him sympathetically. "I want to take care of her and the child. But she didn't even tell me. I don't know if she even wants me around."
She smiled at him gently. "I've seen the way she's looked at you for the past few years. Even though Luna is harder to read than most girls, it was very obvious that she held a special affection for you. I'm sure she had good reason for not telling you. I had thought you were oblivious to her until I saw the way you looked at her at your trial. If it wasn't apparent then, it certainly is now, that you care a great deal for her. I'm sure that once the two of you talk out whatever has happened between you, everything will turn out just fine."
"I wish I could be sure of that," Draco threw back the last of the brandy.
"Well dear, we shall have to wait for Luna to arrive to see how things will come about." she stood up and walked to the door. "Come along. My old office is uninhabited at the moment. You can wait there, and I'll have Hagrid send Luna along as soon as she is here."
The professor's old office was just down the hall, and still furnished with a desk and chairs, which she transfigured into a comfortable sofa and upholstered chairs with a flick of her wand. She drew back the curtains to let in the last of the early evening sunshine, and after again repeating that everything would be fine, returned to her preparations for the students' arrival.
Draco prowled around the room for several minutes, conjuring a fire for its soothing factor, not because he was chilled. He finally ended up at the window, staring unseeingly at the Whomping Willow.
"Hello Draco."
He turned to face her, holding his breath.
She stood in the door, dressed in her Hogwarts robes. Her hand rested lightly on the small bump at her waist. Her face was totally peaceful, and totally unreadable.
He looked at the bump. It suddenly dawned on him that no matter what happened in the next few minutes, whether she cut off any further contact with him or whether she married him, their lives were now forever bound together by the child they had created. The thought filled him with an emotion he couldn't classify – love, pride, joy, and awe all rolled into one.
It also terrified him more than Voldemort ever had.
"Did you come for me, or only for your son?" she asked softly.
He looked back into her eyes, which were still unreadable.
"I came for both of you," he answered honestly. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."
"I'm not sorry," she took a step toward him. "It probably would have been better if I was finished with school already. But I'm already quite taken with him, and I haven't even met him yet." She rubbed her belly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he forced himself to ask the question that had haunted him all day.
"Because you weren't ready to hear it yet," she answered, wrinkling her brow as if the answer should have been completely obvious.
"Is your father very upset?" he took a step closer to her.
For the first time ever, Draco heard a bit of an edge creep into her voice. So little actually, that if it had been anyone but Luna, it wouldn't have even been noticeable. "My father is so wrapped up in his upcoming expedition to search for the scarlet winged warbling waldillas that he hasn't even noticed."
He had no idea how to respond to that. Her own father, who lived with her, hadn't even noticed?
When in doubt, dodge. "I'll come to speak with him, of course. He needs to know that I accept responsibility and will take care of you and our son."
She nodded, so he figured he must on the right track.
"And first thing tomorrow morning I'll go to Gringotts and transfer funds into your name..."
"Draco," she interrupted, with that ever so slight edge in her voice again. "You don't have to buy access to your child."
He looked confused for a moment. "Buy access? I just want to make sure if there is anything you or the baby need, you can get it immediately."
"Oh," her voiced softened. "That is most thoughtful of you." She took a step closer to him. "I do believe you'll make a very good father."
He took a step toward her as well. They were a little more than arm's length apart by now.
"I want to be a good father. I want to be a very big part of my son's life." he managed to say around the lump in his throat. He looked down at the baby bump again.
She took two steps forward, took his hand, and placed it on her belly. "He's moving. Can you feel it?"
A minute later he looked at her sadly. "No."
She smiled. "It's probably too soon. I can just barely feel it. It feels like little flutters."
He nodded. "Yeah, that's probably it."
"I should be getting down to the Great Hall..." she began.
"Luna wait," he took a deep breath. "What about us? You and me?"
Something flashed behind her eyes so quickly he would have missed it if he had blinked. She turned away slightly.
"You said there was no future for us," she reminded him.
"Well, that was obviously before I knew about this," he gestured at her middle. "A mutual future is kind of an inevitability now."
"I don't want to be an inevitability." she turned completely away from him and walked toward the door.
"Luna, I' m sorry."
She stopped.
He ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't mean that the way it came out. I don't really know what I mean. What if I come back this weekend, after we've both had some time to think about everything, and we talk further?"
After the longest moment of his life, she nodded. "I think that would be a good idea. Especially if you have some chicken soup first."
He crossed the room in two long strides and took her hand. "I'll walk you to the Great Hall."
They walked in silence, and when they arrived, Weaslette was waiting outside the doors. Draco ignored her, turning to embrace Luna.
"I'll see you soon," he whispered into her hair, then tipped her face up to kiss her lips.
"I'd tell you to get a room," the Weaslette said behind him. "but obviously you already have."
Draco whirled on her angrily. "Say whatever you want to about me. I don't fucking care. But do not EVER say a word about Luna and our child. Clear?"
Weaslette nodded in shock.
Luna turned him to face her and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his nose. He smiled and winked at her.
She took Weaslette by the arm and pulled her into the Great Hall. Draco turned and walked out the front doors of the castle, down to the gates so he could disapparate back home.